It turns out that the excessive loyalty demanded by Trump and provided by this GOP congress may be backfiring among some local GOP officials.
Transylvania is a small rural county in Western North Carolina. According to a conservative website, It had an R +20 presidential voting record in 2012. www.politicsnc.com/...
Yet just recently three GOP county commissioners quit the Republican party en masse. While they explicitly refer to a number of reasons for leaving, the thread running through their three stated reasons is that they feel their party has become hostage to excessive partisanship, which impedes their ability to govern effectively and to listen to the concerns of all of their constituents.
First, they assert that their conservatism impelled them to leave. They define conservatism in this way:
To be conservative is to honor and preserve the fundamental institutions, processes, structures and rule of law, ….
To be conservative is to be financially prudent while also investing in common ground works that support individual success for all citizens. To be conservative is to be welcoming and inclusive, ….
To be conservative is to have a strong moral compass and the willingness to challenge wrong regardless of its source.
We believe all of these are not merely conservative principles but American principles.
Secondly, they imply that the current party has strayed from norms of integrity, honor, and objective truth, and again imply that this departure has impeded their duty to listen to all their constituents regardless of party.
Next, we believe elected officials have a special duty to conduct themselves beyond reproach and make genuine efforts to represent all their constituents.
Elected officials must strive to conduct all public and private actions with honor and integrity.
Elected officials must value objective truth and, in turn, be truthful in their own statements and interactions.
And elected officials must continually work to hear the voices of all while making hard decisions on behalf of their fellow citizens.
Finally, they assert that excessive partisanship impedes problem-solving, which is their primary job as local officials.
"Finally, and importantly, we believe local government should not be partisan in nature.
Good ideas come from across the spectrum of political thought.
Our focus is local, our objective is problem-solving for Transylvania County and our experience is that partisanship is an obstacle to effective local governance.
Governing is done best when done closest, and close governing is done best when removed from partisan encumbrances."
These officials are all long-term Republicans. One would hope their decision is the start of something new, and not merely an aberration.
www.transylvaniatimes.com/...